'KIS' GHIORDES RUGS ARE ONE OF THE RARER DESIGN TYPES PRODUCED IN GHIORDES WHICH ARE GENERALLY THOUGHT TO DATE FROM THE 18TH AND 19TH CENTURY (BALLARD, JAMES F.: CATALOGUE OF ORIENTAL RUGS, ST. LOUIS, 1924, NO.17, P.30 IS A TYPICAL EXAMPLE). THE ORIGINS OF THE MAIN FEATURES OF THE DESIGN IN THE RUGS OF THE 17TH CENTURY ARE CLEAR. THE PRESENT RUG HOWEVER DIFFERS FROM THE MAJORITY AND APPEARS TO BE A VERY EARLY EXAMPLE OF THE TYPE. THE DRAWING OF THE CENTRAL MEDALLION AND, PARTICULARLY UNUSUALLY THE SPANDRELS, IS VERY CLOSE INDEED TO THAT OF SMALL MEDALLION USHAK RUGS OF THE 16TH CENTURY. ALMOST ALL OTHER 'KIS' GHIORDES RUGS HAVE SPANDRELS WHICH DERIVE ORIGINALLY FROM THE 'TRANSYLVANIAN' ROSETTE AND SAZ LEAF DESIGN. THE PRESENT RUG LACKS THE NORMALLY ENCOUNTERED CROSS-PANELS ENCOUNTERED IN LATER RUGS. THE GUARD BORDER IS ALSO ONE FOUND ON RUGS OF THE 17TH AND EARLY 18TH CENTURY. AND THE MAIN BORDER DESIGN IS TRUER TO ITS 16TH CENTURY ORIGINS THAN THE STATIC TRIANGLES SEEN IN MOST EXAMPLES.
A VERY SIMILAR RUG TO THE PRESENT LOT IS ILLUSTRATED BY SCHRMANN, ULRICH: ORIENTAL CARPETS, LONDON, 1966, P.14). A TRANSITIONAL 17TH CENTURY 'TRANSYLVANIAN' RUG WITH MANY FEATURES ASSOCIATED WITH LATER 'KIS' GHIORDES RUGS IS IN ROMANIA (SCHMUTZLER, EMIL: ALTORIENTALISCHE TEPPICHE IN SIEBENBRGEN, LEIPZIG, 1933, PL.51).